"Highly recommended vampire romance!"
Ex-police detective, jack-of-all-trades, and all virile
male, Wil Brogan is a vampire who doesn't play by the rules
and one you do not want to cross. Rex Holden, sleaze-bag proprietor, collector and purveyor
of women, has however, found himself in exactly this
predicament when he comes up a day late and a dollar short
for protective services rendered by Wil. A pathological
liar and a cheat with no other recourse, Rex offers the
only thing he can for collateral: one of his many women. However, Wil has eyes for only one woman, and unfortunately
she isn't up for grabs. Rebecca Louise Holmes, "Becca" is the beautiful younger
sister of Wil's friend Ellie, and he finds her tending bar
at Rex's place. Ellie doesn't think Becca is old enough or
wise enough to be out on her own and taking care of
herself, and has hired Wil to find her. Wil thinks Ellie is wrong, blinded by older sibling over-
protectiveness. In Becca he sees an assertive and dangerous
woman who knows what she wants and won't hesitate to take
it. On top of everything else she's too sexy and
independent for her own good, and is caught up in the
middle of something Wil knows she can't handle. He knows,
also, she won't make keeping his promise to Ellie easy, and
that it will be hard convincing her to come with him; for
her own protection or not. Becca notices Wil the first night he walks into Rex's bar
the previous week and she's just as hot for Rex's arrogant,
cocky customer as Wil is for her. Only she has a secret
agenda and more than just sex on her mind for Wil, and when
Rex approaches her with his proposition, she doesn't
hesitate to agree. Before long, Wil realizes that Becca is not the sweet
innocent young virgin Ellie and her family sent him
to "rescue" and bring home, but a woman with which to be
reckoned, one able to take care of not just herself but of
him too, and in more ways than one. Wil wonders now if it
is Becca who is caught up in the middle of something she
can't handle, or is it him? Wil is usually careful (where his libido isn't concerned at
least), an unexpectedly sensitive loner compelled to break
his "no attachments, no emotions" credo once confronted
with a brazen and determined Becca; bent on making him drop
his guard and throw caution to the wind. Becca is more than a match for Wil's moral-code and the
promise he made to her family; a mysterious and deadly
adversary who will do anything she has to to get her man--
or her vampire, even if that means...murder. Wil and Becca start out as the most unlikely pair, but
despite this the sparks between them fly and grow into a
full-fledged conflagration once they consummate their ill-
advised relationship. Despite the dark fantasy elements, TARNISHED (the fifth
book in the Dark Promises series that effectively stands
alone) is a solid universal story with even more solid and
universal hero, heroine and supporting characters that kept
this reader's interest high and emotions involved to the
very end. Adams has created a sympathetic and multi-dimensional
coupling in Wil's principled but flawed vamp and Becca's
passionate, but vulnerable and emotionally scarred
temptress, who each drive the plot with natural,
titillating dialogue and tantalizing steamy sexual
encounters that definitely has this reader ready to buy the
other four books in the series. Highly recommended vampire
romance! Posted December 26, 2005
Reviewed by Gracie McKeever
Posted November 20, 2006
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