More vampires--gotta love 'em. Thankfully, not a frilly, laced-necked poet's shirt was found among them. The story opens with Alexandra Keller, plastic surgeon extraordinaire. She's being pursued by a mysterious millionaire, one Michael Cyprien, to perform an undisclosed operation. The catch? He refuses to leave his home in New Orleans, offers a suspicious payment of $4 million, and won't take 'no' for an answer. We can see where this is going, I'm sure.

What follows is an intriguing story as Alex is pulled, kicking and screaming death threats, into the vampiric underworld. And you'd like Alex -- I know I did. So hostile, so violent. Her compulsive urge to hurt people was vastly entertaining, let me tell you. They all deserved it, though, don't worry.

I also enjoyed Viehl's take on the paranormal classic. Her vampires aren't completely innovative but have some distinctive characteristics, some more original than others. I was warned about the scent thing, true, but for the life of me can't figure why one would make their main dude smell like roses. Not pine needles, or juniper, or even lilies. Demons, thankfully, seem to universally smell of amber and spices. Point for them.

My complaints: I was not convinced by the chemistry (or love, for that matter) between Alex and Michael. Nor did I find Cyprien to be particularly appealing. When he wasn't being an anacronistic blockhead, he sulked around feeling good about how patient and understanding he was being. Shyeah. Alex should have totally slapped him around more. And Phillipe should have given Cyprien a run for his money. Not surprising but I liked him and Lucan better than Cyprien. Thankfully, I've got 'Dark Need' right here waiting to be read. ( )

Enjoyable take on the vampire genre. I liked the mix of vampires, romance, and medicine. ( )

This is the first time I’ve picked up a book by Lynn Viehl and I was unimpressed. For someone who has published forty novels in five genres (at least according to her website), I really thought that this book would be a lot better. The reviews on Chapters‘ website were sort of polarized but I figured I would give it a chance anyways. Unfortunately, it seems like the naysayers were right. With the exception of Alexandra, the female lead, the characters were underdeveloped, the plot was a bit all over the place, and there was no chemistry between the two protagonists. The book was this strange mishmash of concepts that just never gelled; I’m not sure how this book spawned a series.

One thing I do enjoy is the mythology Ms. Viehl created about the origin of her vampires. (MILD SPOILER) The idea that they use to be Templar Knights is pretty neat, as is the concept of vampirism as a disease rather than a curse, although I have read or seen the latter other places. (SPOILER ENDS) I also liked that the protagonist was feisty and had her own opinions but that’s where my appreciation ends, I’m afraid.

As far as paranormal romance goes, I’d much rather read something by J.R. Ward, Gena Showalter or Nalini Singh. Their world building is better, the storylines are tighter and their work has more re-readability. I won’t be following up with this series, at least not as purchases; if I can get the next book from the library, though, I may give it a chance.

Originally posted at http://ireadgood.wordpress.com ( )

A slightly new take on vampires. I kept waiting for the erotic part mentioned in the cover blurb, but the romance was pretty slow in coming. I guess after reading the whole Anita Blake series, I don't do well with subtle and gentle romance. Plenty of hints at Anne Rice. Fairly decent storyline, however I'm not rushing out for the second one. Although I do wonder how it will all develop in the next book, especially for Alexandra and John. ( )

Dr. Alex Keller is a rockstar in the cosmetic surgery world. She’s been on the cover of Time Magazine and been proclaimed as the “Fastest Scalpel in the World”. What’s more is she works pro bono, taking on cases of disfigurement from accidents and violent crimes, preferring to help those who most need her skills over rich, vain clients. As she and her brother are wealthy from the deaths of their adoptive parents, Alex can afford to be scrupulous.

However, there is one patient who persistently requests her services, and won’t take no for an answer. The mysterious Mr. Michael Cyprien, via his assistant offers Alex up to $4 million to fly out to his home in New Orleans and perform surgery on him—which Alex takes as a blatant show of wealth and arrogance, and detects something sinister. She informs Cyprian’s assistant that he has to go to a hospital to have any surgery performed, recommends colleagues that could perform the surgery, but firmly refuses to consider his case. Michael, however, is not having any of it, and has Alex abducted (read: drugged up on ether) and forcibly brought to his Louisiana manor to perform the surgery. Upon awakening, Alex is justifiably outraged…until she finally sets eyes on Cyprian and sees the extent of his injuries. His face has been brutally crushed, and covered in thick ragged scar tissue. He has no eyes, as the tissue has healed over them, no nose, and a gaping hole for a mouth. Alex is a healer and empathetic by nature—her curiosity is piqued, and as a medical doctor she cannot resist the mystery in front of her. That Cyprian survived such a brutal mauling that left him without a face is astounding enough—and then he shows her why he needed the Fastest Scalpel in the World. Upon being cut, Cyprian heals almost immediately. Any other surgeon would take too long, and his face would heal over mid-procedure. Seeing the once in a lifetime challenge before her, Alex accepts and is successful beyond all expectations—Cyprian is restored to his former beauty. He awakens and opens his beautiful eyes, and unfortunately for Alex, succumbs to bloodlust. Cyprian is not, as Alex postured, a medical miracle but in fact a Darkyn; a creature akin to vampires, an ancient race that survived the Black Death and roam the earth damned to eternal life. Michael manages to stop himself from killing Alex but in the process has infected her, and she begins her own journey from human to undead. Determined to ignore Michael and the magnetic pull they have towards each other, Alex tries to fight the infection using her medical savvy. Meanwhile, her brother (who is a priest) searches frantically for his estranged sister, and stumbles into The Brethren—a secret order of priests dedicated to hunting down and destroying the Darkyn.

Overall, this was a good read. I enjoyed Ms. Viehl’s characters, and I liked the spunky heroine she created in Alexandra (even if she was just Cherijo with a regular scalpel in Louisiana as opposed to a lascalpel on K-2). Alex’s dogged refusal to drink blood and accept becoming a Darkyn as she searched for a ‘cure’ felt genuine. Similarly, her brother’s struggle with celibacy and faith certainly was not a comfortable topic to read, and the torturous scenes involving him weren’t pleasant either—but they were effective and lent dimension to these characters. Ms. Viehl writes a smart story, and she doesn’t pull her punches.

The actual romance between Cyprian and Alex was enjoyable as well—they are two very stubborn characters, and the attraction they feel for each other is realistically portrayed. Alex has rough edges and refuses to be dominated immediately by Michael, exhibiting her strength of will and spunk (even telling him at one point to bite her ass, packing a nice punch as well). Michael himself was a bit of a wanker though (to borrow a phrase from Ana)—a bit stock in the growly possessive mate department. I enjoyed the romance as an almost afterthought to the actual story however, and I suspect this is why the book garners negative reviews.

What Ms. Viehl does best though is weave multiple storylines with deftness. The subplot involving Alex’s brother and the hideous torture and rape he undergoes at the hand of the Brethren is terrifying, yet engaging and relevant to the overall story. The baddies here really are bad; not your typical incompetent idiot villains. There are other subplots involving other characters, most notably the character of Thierry Durand who has been driven mad after being forced to watch his mate raped, tortured, then murdered by the Brethren.

This is a complex and dark book—not so much a paranormal romance as it is dark fantasy or horror. I’d warn romance fans that are expecting another sexy vampire fluff tale; Ms. Viehl isn’t about that. Think more along the lines of Anne Bishop than Kresley Cole—except Ms. Viehl is far superior to both authors, in this reviewer’s humble opinion.

Notable Quotes/Parts: Some of the truly haunting scenes involve Alex’s brother and his flashback to missionary work in South America, and his initiation to the Brethren. Ick…but in a well written, creepy way.

Additional Thoughts: Something else to note for the romance fans. I have not read that many romances, but in those I have read, reproductive parts are described with indirect adjectives and discrete nouns (i.e. “his manhood pushed against her”, “his throbbing member”, etc).

In this respect, Ms. Viehl calls a spade a bloody shovel, if you know what I mean.

Verdict: I enjoyed this book. Ms. Viehl proves again that she can write an engaging, fast paced story, and I’ll probably be picking up book 2 sometime in the near future. I still prefer the Stardoc series, but her foray into the paranormal genre has everything I could have asked for.

Rating: 7 Very Good

Full Review at:
http://thebooksmugglers.blogspot.com/... ( )